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The paladin smiled at him and Piper’s insides melted a little. “I’ll be right there with you,” he promised. “Come on. It’s not hard, really, you just have to stay calm and keep your arms close to your body.”

Piper did not feel calm. He felt even less calm when they entered the room together and Galen tugged him into position, then stood close behind Piper’s back, hands gripping his elbows. The paladin’s feet were braced on either side of his. Oh dear god.

“The trick is not to try and rush through it,” Galen murmured in his ear. “Slow and careful. Rushing only gets you in trouble.”

Does he mean for that to sound that suggestive?

Click. A blade fell in front of him and Piper squeaked and recoiled. Galen caught him. “Steady now,” he said. “I’ve got you.”

On the one hand, there was an ivory wall bare inches in front of him. On the other hand, Galen’s chest pressed against his back, and Galen’s hips were suddenly tight against his. Rat have mercy. He wanted to scream. He wanted to run away. He wanted to lean back into Galen’s embrace and feel…everything.

The blade lifted. Galen’s knee nudged the back of his thigh. “Walk forward.”

Piper tried to make his legs work. They did not want to. His nerves screamed that a blade was going to slice him in half vertically any second now.

“Listen to me, Piper. I’m right here. We’re in this together.” The paladin pushed him and Piper took a stumbling step forward, then another. “That’s good. You’re doing good. And…stop here.”

Piper stopped gratefully. “Close your eyes,” Galen suggested. “That might make it easier. I’ll tell you when to move.”

It did make it easier, except that if possible, he became even more aware of the paladin’s body pressed against his. He could feel Galen’s breath against his ear when the man spoke again. “Forward now. Come on. Just a little farther in and then we’ll stop again.”

He has got to be doing that deliberately. And it was working, too. Piper kept his eyes tightly shut but the next step forward was easier. Galen stroked his forearms lightly and that distracted him even more.

Click. Click. A breath of air to his left. Piper opened his eyes involuntarily and saw the wall practically against his nose and another bare inches from his left shoulder. They were in a tiny ivory box barely bigger than a coffin. He sucked in a breath, feeling panic rising in a bubble under his sternum, and squeezed his eyes closed again.

Galen nipped the back of his neck.

Piper’s yelp turned rapidly into a groan. Oh god. Oh sweet Lady of Grass. He bent his head forward as the paladin’s lips moved down his neck. Was he shivering from nerves or from the man’s touch? He couldn’t be certain.

“Keep your eyes closed,” murmured Galen. “There you go. You’re doing good. I know this is hard for you. It’s hard for me too.”

He is absolutely doing that deliberately. Also, take me now.

More clicking sounds, but before he could do more than register them, Galen was nibbling on the back of his neck again and Piper was starting to think that if he just kept his eyes closed, he could keep this up for hours, or at least until he had to turn around and tear the paladin’s clothes off, which was probably not hours, possibly not even minutes at this rate—

“Last one.”

—and Piper took another step forward and another and Galen said, “It’s all right, we’re through,” and Piper opened his eyes and he was facing the corner and quarters were tight but not impossibly so. He turned around.

Warm green eyes looked down into his. Galen leaned forward. “You’re lucky,” he said into Piper’s ear, sliding his hands up the doctor’s arms. “What I want to do to you would take much longer than six minutes, so you’re spared for a little longer.”

“I don’t think that’s luck,” croaked Piper. “I think that’s terrible, actually.”

Galen grinned at him and Piper barely noticed the wall slamming down behind the paladin. “Well,” he said. “Maybe Earstripe’s the lucky one, in that case. Not having to walk in on us.”

Piper managed a laugh. “He’d just roll his eyes and shout suggestions from the next room.”

“I might be able to fuck my way through an ancient death trap,” said Galen, “but I draw the line at doing so with gnole commentary.”

The word fuck did remarkable things to Piper’s brain. Maybe six minutes would be enough time after all. He started to lean closer.

The blades retracted. The doorway slid open. Earstripe poked his head through. “Humans still alive? Not chopped like apples?”

“Still alive,” Galen confirmed, stepping back.

Piper resigned himself to battling with his spongiform erectile tissue for a while longer yet. “Yes. What’s past this, Earstripe? More doors?”

“Not doors,” said Earstripe, surprising him. “Long hall. Six alcoves. One door at the end.”